Just because you are going through a youth movement, it doesn’t mean that some adult supervision isn’t required as well.
The Sherwood Park Crusaders made some significant steps to ensure that more than half their team wouldn’t be making their first forays into the deeper waters of the Alberta Junior Hockey League this season, adding three 20-year-old vets to their roster this week.
The Crusaders, who finished fifth in the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s highly-competitive North Division with a record of 32-25-3, but then went down 3-1 in their opening round playoff series against the fourth-place Bonnyville Pontiacs to close out last season, were long on young talent heading into last week’s start of training camp, but seriously short on familiar faces and experience.
Only six skaters from last year’s team remained in forwards Ty Readman, Merritt Oszytko, Brandon Wallis and Ashton Cassault, and defencemen Ben McLeod and Austin Shmoorkoff, with the off-season additions of veteran forward Dylan Stewart from the Pontiacs and blueliner Tyler Pang from B.C.
And while head coach Adam Manah was excited about his near clean slate and the wealth of young talent coming in, it still seemed like a few more veterans could help shelter those newbies during their expected growing pains.
Crusaders GM Kyle Chase seems to have addressed that with an airlift of AJHL vets who had found themselves dealt farther east.
The first player brought in was 20-year-old defenceman Brendan Kallis, acquired from the Steinbach Pistons of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for future considerations.
Kallis played in 59 games last season with the Grande Prairie Storm, scoring just two goals, but adding 20 assists. The six-foot-one defender has also spent time with the AJHL’s Drayton Valley Thunder and Lloydminster Bobcats, and even played one previous game for the Crusaders in the 2013-2014 season, getting a point.
“He is a solid defenceman that is a very good defender in his own end and can add some offence,” Chase said in a team release. “His leadership will be his biggest asset to a young defence corp.”
Chase then chased down a pair of additional 20-year-olds to help with the team’s veteran presence, adding defenceman Kole Bryks and forward Ryan McKinnon from the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, again for future considerations.
“Both of these players will be looked upon for their leadership (as veterans) for the season to bring along a young group of players,” the Cru GM said.
Bryks, six-foot-two, played last season with the Millionaires, picking up four assists. He has previously logged time with the Spruce Grove Saints and Bonnyville in the AJHL, as well as serving a stint with the Vancouver Giants of the WHL.